Chris Rodriguez is a partner in the Sacramento office of Singleton Schreiber and, along with partner Andrew Bluth, leads the firm’s mass torts practice. Before opening the Sacramento office of Singleton Schreiber, Mr. Rodriguez was a partner at two major national law firms and served as the managing partner of Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman’s Sacramento office. Mr. Rodriguez is an experienced trial attorney who has represented clients in jury trials, bench trials, arbitrations, and administrative hearings involving a broad array of complex civil litigation issues. He prides himself on not only being a fierce advocate and skilled trial lawyer, but also on developing practical, efficient strategies that serve the best interests and well-being of his clients. Throughout his career, Mr. Rodriguez has successfully represented some of America’s largest corporations in business-to-business litigation, as well as in litigation against state and federal agencies. Mr. Rodriguez is excited to bring that experience to Singleton Schreiber and its clients. Mr. Rodriguez is admitted in all state and federal courts in the state of California, as well as the United States Supreme Court. Mr. Rodriguez graduated from Harvard University in 1996 with a degree in economics (cum laude) and earned his law degree in 2000 from the Boalt Hall (Berkeley) School of Law. He has been regularly recognized by Sacramento Magazine as a “Top Lawyer.” Mr. Rodriguez grew up in a small town outside of Sacramento, California, where he still lives with his wife and three children. In his spare time, he enjoys spending time with his family, coaching competitive youth basketball, and volunteering as an umpire for the local Little League baseball program.

Ben Siminou is a certified appellate specialist, and leads our Motion, Writs & Appeals practice group. Mr. Siminou handles law-and-motion and appellate briefing in complex, high-stakes cases in state and federal courts throughout the United States. He has notable wins in the California Supreme Court, Nebraska Supreme Court, Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, and California Court of Appeal. Between 2020 and 2023, Mr. Siminou defeated dispositive motions in cases with an aggregate value of $100 million. In 2023, Mr. Siminou received the first ever “Appellate Case of the Year Award” from Consumer Attorneys of San Diego for Ross v. Superior Court, 77 Cal.App.5th 667 (2022), which held that efforts to tamper with a witness in a civil case are admissible at trial as consciousness of guilt, and may justify so-called “apex” depositions of high-ranking government officials. In 2021, Mr. Siminou received the “XONR8R Award” from the California Innocence Project for his pro bono work in Larsen v. California Victim Compensation Board, 64 Cal.App.5th 112 (2021), which expanded the rights of wrongfully convicted persons to receive compensation for their time spent incarcerated. In 2018, Mr. Siminou received the “Appellate Advocacy Award” from the National Civil Justice Institute in Washington D.C., which “recognizes excellence in appellate advocacy” nationwide. The award acknowledged Mr. Siminou’s work in T.H. Novartis Pharmaceutical Corp., 4 Cal.5th 145 (2017), a landmark decision by the California Supreme Court that greatly expanded rights for victims of mislabeled drugs. Super Lawyers recognized Mr. Siminou as a “Rising Star” in 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, and a “Super Lawyer” in 2021. Before entering private practice, Mr. Siminou served as a judicial clerk to the Honorable Michael G. Heavican, Chief Justice of the Nebraska Supreme Court. He then spent nearly a decade with Thorsnes Bartolotta McGuire LLP, before starting Siminou Appeals, Inc., a solo appellate practice. Mr. Siminou earned a bachelor’s degree from Trinity University with a double major in political science and English. He graduated Order of the Coif with High Distinction from the University of Nebraska College of Law, where he was the editor in chief of the Nebraska Law Review and earned numerous honors and awards, particularly for his legal research and writing. In 2020, Mr. Siminou joined the Committee on the Appellate Courts, a select, statewide group of appellate lawyers in the public and private sectors that help influence rules and procedure in California’s appellate courts. In 2023, he joined the board of directors for Consumer Attorneys of San Diego. Mr. Siminou volunteers his time to pro bono cases and as a mentor for The Appellate Project, guiding law students of color or from marginalized groups who are interested in careers in appellate advocacy. When Mr. Siminou is not writing briefs or consulting with trial lawyers, he can be found at the beach or on a hiking trail with his wife and children, in the gym, or on a racetrack in a car. Mr. Siminou is admitted to practice in California, Nebraska, and the Second, Third, Fifth, and Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.

Kathryn Baxendale graduated from Santa Barbara College of Law and is admitted to practice in California state courts. She earned her bachelor’s degree from Scripps College and Master’s in Business Administration from Virscend University. Ms. Baxendale currently works in the Fire Litigation practice area, representing survivors of wildfires.

Carmela Birnbaum is a member of our personal injury and wrongful death division and a seasoned attorney who has helped hundreds of clients make recoveries in their personal injury cases. With more than a decade of experience, Ms. Birnbaum is dedicated to her clients and fights vigorously for their interests. She places a premium on communicating with her clients and providing clear guidance throughout the legal process. 

The Law Offices of Paul R. Irish, located in Sacramento, California, is a law firm that specializes in providing legal services with a focus on family law.

Merritt McKeon is considered to be one of California’s preeminent experts in complex international and interstate family law litigation, mediation, and appeals, and has received numerous awards over 25 years of experience as an expert in international Hague Treaty petitions, child abduction, domestic violence, and both domestic and civil business mediation. Ms. McKeon has appeared on numerous television broadcasts such as Burden of Proof, Larry King Live, Good Morning America, The 700 Club, C-NBC, and various international media outlets in both Australia and Italy. In 1999, Ms. McKeon participated on a legal team with attorney Gloria Allred which resulted in the successful release of an American-born child whose mother had been murdered in Italy. Ms. McKeon appeared in the book Fight Back And Win: My Thirty-Year Fight Against Injustice and How You Can Win Your Own Battles by Gloria Allred, which highlights Ms. McKeon’s participation in the successful appeal written in Italy for the Italian Court. Ms. McKeon is co-author of Stop Domestic Violence: An Action Planning Guide to Saving Lives and appeared with the father of Nicole Brown Simpson on Larry King Live shortly after the O.J. Simpson murder trial. Merritt is considered a preeminent attorney in her subject areas and a ‘lawyer’s -lawyer’ who enjoys participating as both case consultant and co-counsel, focusing on tactical solutions to complex legal issues which often result in successful mediation through alternative dispute resolution (ADR). In 2014 Merritt attended the renowned Pepperdine, Strauss Mediation program and maintains an active practice assisting both clients and attorneys.

Brett Schreiber is a nationally recognized trial attorney and co-founder of Singleton Schreiber, where he leads the firm’s Personal Injury and Wrongful Death practice. He represents individuals and families harmed by corporate misconduct, defective products, dangerous roadways, and systemic safety failures, including high-profile litigation against Tesla arising from fatal crashes involving autonomous and advanced driver-assistance technologies. The dozens of cases he has tried have resulted in numerous multi-million-dollar verdicts and settlements for his clients. A series of firsts have marked Mr. Schreiber’s career, whether it was trying serious injury cases to verdict in his first years of practice, elevating to leadership positions in trial lawyer organizations years before his predecessors had, and/or receiving honors and awards typically reserved for lawyers much later in their careers. Notably, in July 2025, Mr. Schreiber served as lead trial counsel for the families of a woman killed and a man gravely injured in a crash involving a Tesla vehicle in Benavides v. Tesla, the first wrongful death case against Tesla to proceed to trial. Tesla’s design and marketing of its Autopilot system created a false sense of safety that contributed to the fatal collision. The case also intersected with a 2023 federal recall concerning Tesla’s driver-monitoring system. On August 1, 2025, a Miami jury unanimously awarded the plaintiffs $243 million, widely reported as one of the largest individual-plaintiff verdicts in the history of the American civil justice system. Before founding Singleton Schreiber, Mr. Schreiber was a partner at Thorsnes Bartolotta McGuire, a San Diego plaintiffs’ firm. He also served as a legislative intern in the Florida Senate, worked as a lobbyist, clerked with a boutique South Florida law firm specializing in criminal defense, civil litigation, and family law, interned with the San Diego Public Defenders' office, and clerked with a small appellate practice. Mr. Schreiber’s career has been marked by early and sustained leadership. He tried serious injury cases to verdict in his first years of practice and rose rapidly within national trial-lawyer organizations. Guided by the Hebrew principle of tikkun olam, meaning “to heal the world,” Mr. Schreiber recognizes that to have the greatest impact serving our communities, we must integrate litigation and political strategies. What happens in the state house directly affects what happens in the courthouse and vice versa. Mr. Schreiber routinely works with local, state, and national political figures and elected office holders to ensure access to justice and that the voices of the people we represent are heard both in the courtroom and in the Capitol Rotunda. To that end, Mr. Schreiber currently serves as an Officer of the Board of Directors of Consumer Attorneys of California (CAOC). Mr. Schreiber graduated cum laude from Thomas Jefferson School of Law where he competed on moot court teams and was a member of the law review. He is admitted to practice in all California courts, the Southern and Central Districts of California, and the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. He is a proud member of Consumer Attorneys of San Diego, Consumer Attorneys of California, Consumer Attorneys of Los Angeles, Attorneys Information Exchange Group, American Association of Justice and the American Board of Trial Advocates. Mr. Schreiber and his wife, Shayna, a clinical psychologist, live in Ocean Beach with their four young children. They enjoy surfing, yoga, tennis, and family outings that always include their golden retriever, Roshi.